Ephraim Moravian Messenger News from the Open Door

Transcription

1 Ephraim Moravian Messenger News from the Open Door In Essentials, Unity; In Non-Essentials, Liberty; In All Things, Love Congregational Watchword for 2016 The Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands. - Deuteronomy 30:9 (NIV) May 2016 From the Pastor s Desk: The Lord is my Shepherd Psalm 23 My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me John 10 The 23 rd Psalm is usually associated with a funeral. But it was not intended to reflect death. It was intended to give us hope as we trust God, our divine Shepherd. It s a song about life. The Lord is my Shepherd, the Psalmist proclaims. The Shepherd guides him through pleasant pastures, in the right paths and through the darkest valley. Do you trust the Shepherd to guide you to the right path? I know of one person who trusts the Shepherd with absolute certainty. Here is her story: My sister, Linda, was looking to change jobs. Being a nurse, with ICU experience, she knew she would have no trouble finding work. Just down the street, a 2 minute drive, was a hospital in need of her skills. She was hired on the spot. In 2 weeks time, she would take on her new responsibilities. She was excited to be able to work in our neighborhood. However, she saw an ad for a hospital about a ½ hour away from home and she felt an internal nudging to send an application there. She resisted this urge but, when the feeling became more insistent, she contacted the hospital to say she was available. The personnel office was dismissive, saying that her offer might be taken up in some weeks, but certainly not by the time she took the job in the neighborhood hospital. Linda hung up the phone, feeling rather foolish and wondering if she needed her head examined. Yet, the next day, the head of the ICU called, interviewed her and hired her. Linda trusted and obeyed the Shepherd s guidance. Upon entering that hospital, Linda was immediately sent to the darkest valley. The ICU unit was dysfunctional, bordering on the psychotic. Nurses refused to ask for help or assist each other, resulting in back and shoulder injuries. In order to advance their own interests and careers, they slandered their co-workers. She came home after her shifts sharing horror stories of misconduct and distrust. She never questioned that the Shepherd led her there and that she was in this valley by the Shepherd s intention. She put a personal strategy in place to walk through the valley. After her own duties were accomplished, she offered help to the other nurses. When they refused, she would say: I know you can do it by yourself, you re a wonderful nurse; but, since I m here anyway, let me help. Her gentle persuasion completely disarmed them. In 6 months time, that ICU became a place of genuine healing, for the patients as well as the nurses. Sometimes the guidance of the Shepherd leads us into the darkest valley. Do you trust the Shepherd? My sister s walk through the valley of the shadow not only healed an ICU unit, but paved the way for the career she has today. Do you trust the Shepherd, not only to lead you to green pastures and the right path, but also through the valley of the shadow? My prayer is that Psalm 23 will be a reminder to put absolute trust in the divine shepherd to lead us our whole life long! 1 Pastor Dawn

2 Ephraim Moravian Church Office Hours PASTOR: TUES - FRI 9 a.m p.m. MONDAY Pastor s Day Off SECRETARY: WED. - THURS. 9:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. CELL NUMBER: The Church Phone does NOT ring in the parsonage. Please keep the Pastor s Cell Phone handy for after hours. New Bible Study begins May 6! Letters from the Front Join us each Friday at 10 a.m. from May 6 - June 11 For a study of Paul s letters and the impact they had on those receiving them and on those who ve read them thousands of years later. We ll also look at the value of letter writing for our families and future generations. Services in May May 8 9 a.m. Sunday School; 10 a.m. Worship/Communion May 15 9 a.m. Sunday School; 10 a.m. Worship Joyful Noise for Loaves & Fishes May 22 9 a.m. Sunday School; 10 a.m. Worship 12 p.m. Road Trip to Milwaukee! May 29 9 a.m. Sunday School; 10 a.m. Service 2 YOUR BOARD MEMBERS TRUSTEES Funds: Investment Committee of John Turner, Chuck Mead, Pete Classen Linda Carey (Trustee President/Cemetery) Marilyn Cushing (Church Building and Parsonage Interiors/ Cemetery) Chuck Mead (Funds and Building Exterior/ Secretary) Rob Moore (Building Exterior, Grounds) Ryan Sherman (Church Building and Parsonage Interiors/Grounds) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ELDERS Pastor Dawn Volpe, Chair Cici Mulliken, Vice Ch Karen Ekberg Diane Jacobson Theresa Weborg, Sect y Betty Chomeau Elder for the month of: May.Karen Ekberg

3 Joint Board Meeting with Provincial Elders President, Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Miller Wednesday, April 27 7:00 p.m. Betsy will be discussing our decision to tithe our assessments. All interested members are welcome to attend this meeting Spiritual Lasik: Seeing God through the Fog MILWAUKEE ROAD TRIP Join us on Sunday, May 22, as we head down to Spirit of Peace Church after the service to share an afternoon Lovefeast and a potluck dinner with them. A Women s Retreat at Bjǿrklunden, Baileys Harbor Wednesday, November 9 8:30 a.m. 3 p.m. Presented by Pastor Dawn Volpe, Ephraim Moravian Church $10 per person RSVP 920/ We will return the same evening. Tell Pastor Dawn if you are interested in going so we can plan the car caravan. REMEMBER OUR COLLEGE KIDS on the final stretch! Mr. James Heroux (summer intern) Rob Volpe Andrea Nelson 53 West Church Street, Apt. 7 Coe College GMU # Washington Ave SE Bethlehem, PA st Ave NE Apt. 205 Cedar Rapids, IA Minneapolis, MN Samantha Phillips Luther College Ainsley Nelson Mike Weborg 700 College Drive, SPO W. Dayton St., # Smith Hall Decorah, IA Madison, WI Reserve Street Stevens Point, WI

4 TREA$URER s REPORT Member giving through March: $20,895 Visitor giving through March: $5,601 Income Expenses Budget for 2016 is $157,800 Budget for 2016 is $193,696 Actual through March: $27,351 Actual through March: $43,060 For May s Feed My People Congratulations to Grant & Rachel (Sayer) Vytlacil who were married here on April 23! It s a girl! Congratulations to George & Linda Carey on the birth of their Great Grand Daughter, Josephine Rose! Suggested Donations for this month: Beans, Potatoes & Rice Place in any of the Feed My People baskets we have in the church. Thanks!! Prayers...Vicky Schult, as her cancer has returned...jane Olson as she deals with serious health issues...tim Christofferson for the healing of his back...joan Heelan, who was hospitalized in Florida The Pastor and Joyce Gerdman will be traveling to Mt. Morris as delegates to the Western District Synod from April 28 - May 1. Please be in prayer for them and all of the participants. Upon returning from Synod, Pastor Dawn will be traveling to Iowa to pick up her son, Rob. She will return on May 3. We Welcome Pastor Sandra Crase to the pulpit on May 1. Pastor Sandra has blessed us before with her inspirational preaching and delightful personality. She s hoping to bring some friends along! Please give our sister in Christ a warm, Ephraim welcome! 4

5 ..to those who offered Fellowship after church in April: Karen Ekberg, Carol & Jim Sokolowski, Kay Wilson, Mary Wilson...to those who ushered or acted as Sacristan in April....for those who helped usher, provide food and serve at Andrew Billerbeck s memorial service. Tea Party May 11! We know you won t want to miss the 1930s Tea Party at the Hall on May 11! See all the info on page 6 of this newsletter. Deadline to sign up is May 1! Spring into Summer! Saturday, May 28, a.m. 11 a.m. FREE Continental Breakfast (Moravian sugar cake, Lovefeast buns, coffee, juice) Huge Bake Sale! Huge Plant Sale shared from our own gardens! May Birthdays Jody Paschke...2 Gunilla Wilson...3 Elli Opitz LaPolla...6 Cindy Phillips...11 Dave Chomeau - 11 Arnold Sohns...13 Doug Schultz...14 Mylo Sherman 17 Pieta Horvath...18 Anne Spooner Crowe.. 19 David Sohns...21 Nicolai Carlson...23 Earl Lorenz.23 Elaine Jacobson...26 Patti Bennett...30 Elizabeth Opitz...30 Rachel Sayer Vytlacil...30 May Anniversaries Tim and Kristi Nelson May 6, 1989 Judy and Paul Flottman May 25, 1974 Erin and Brent Bristol May 28, 2011 If your name, or the name of a loved one is not listed in our birthday and anniversary listings, please let us know by or phone! 5

6 You are cordially invited to an Afternoon Tea in Ephraim, 1930 s style. DATE: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 TIME: 1:00 P. M. to 3.00 P.M. PLACE: Ephraim Village Hall, Water Street COST: $15.00 By Reservation Only: contact Cheryl at or palubahn@yahoo.com All proceeds will benefit DOOR CANcer Inc. Given in memory of Sue Sherman and our many friends who have succumbed to cancer, and in honor of others who have survived it! We rejoice in them all. In Sue s honor, we will serve some of her delectable sweets to tempt you, and her remaining cookbooks will be for sale. We have invited some collectors to display their objects. In that spirit, if you have an apron in your collection -- fancy or utilitarian -- old or new -- please consider bringing or wearing it to add to the atmosphere of the event. We will have a Tree of Memory and of Triumph. Please bring a small photo to hang on the tree during the tea (5 X 7 or less) of a loved one who has passed from this life, 6 or has won his or her life back (you get to keep the fancy photo clip)

7 May 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wed. Thursday Friday Saturday Worship/ Communion 8 Worship 15 Worship 22 Worship ROAD TRIP to Milwaukee 29 Worship :30 p.m. Elders Memorial Day Afternoon Tea, 1930 s Style, Village Hall 1-3 p.m. 7 p.m. AA Mtg p.m. Loaves & Fishes p.m. Trustees 7 p.m. AA Mtg 7 p.m. AA Mtg 7 p.m. AA Mtg 6 8:30 a.m. OA Mtg 10 a.m. Bible Study 13 8:30 a.m. OA Mtg 10 a.m. Bible Study 20 8:30 a.m. OA Mtg 10 a.m. Bible Study 27 8:30 a.m. OA Mtg 10 a.m. Bible Study Swing into Spring Breakfast & Plant Sale 8 11 a.m. 7

8 Ephraim Moravian Church P.O. Box 73 Ephraim, Wisconsin POSTAL WORKER: Thank you for delivering this to: May 2016 Newsletter Photo by Lars Topelmann April 2016 Ephraim Moravian Church - PO Box 73, 9970 Moravia Street - Ephraim, WI Website: General Correspondence: worship@ephraimmoravian.org Visit us on Facebook! 8